Radioactive contamination increasingly found in scraps for recycling

Radioactive contamination increasingly found in scraps for recycling

Subject: Environment

Section: Pollution

Context: Radioactive contaminated metal, if used to manufacture household goods, could pose a potential health problem to unsuspecting consumers: International Atomic Energy Agency.

More on the News:

• Radioactive materials or contaminated devices are entering into the booming scraps recycling chain, posing a grave health hazard, according to the annual data on illicit trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive material released by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
• The latest data has been extracted from the IAEA Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB), where some 143 member states and international agencies report incidents of illicit trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive material under or out of regulatory control.
• The annual number of reported incidents of this kind over the last decade has averaged at around 131 incidents per year according to the IAEA dataset.
• Radioactive-laced waste products— including vehicles like ships — is being increasingly recycled without taking care of the hazard gains credence from the fact that during 1993-2022, more than half of incidents reported under this group were not from radioactive sources.
• Only 10 per cent of all such incidents involved enriched uranium, plutonium and plutonium-beryllium neutron sources. Even for this, many incidents involved scrap metals with high enriched uranium landing up in scrapyards.
• The most common source of such contamination is the feed material (in most cases, metal) from which the product had been manufactured.
• Much feed material is often obtained from the metal recycling industry and, in the process of being melted down, can become contaminated with material from an undetected radioactive source such as cobalt-60.
• The resulting contaminated metal, if used to manufacture household goods, could pose a potential health problem to unsuspecting consumers.

International Atomic Energy Agency

• Widely known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace and Development” organization within the United Nations family, the IAEA is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field.
• The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear technology.
• Headquarter: Vienna, Austria.
• Objective:
  • The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies.
  • In 2005, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work for a safe and peaceful world.
• Board of Governors:
  • 22 member states (must represent a stipulated geographic diversity) — elected by the General Conference (11 members every year) – 2 year term.
  • At least 10 members states — nominated by the outgoing Board.
  • Board members each receive one vote.
• Functions:
  • It is an independent international organization that reports annually to the United Nation General Assembly.
  • When necessary, the IAEA also reports to the UN Security Council in regards to instances of members’ non-compliance with safeguards and security obligations.